Post by bigthunder on Jan 25, 2018 19:51:12 GMT
Thank you Kipper for taking time away from your book to sit down and discuss the state of the Sonics after winning the championship this season. Some things have changed and there were some great questions asked. Without further ado...
Q: This season start is not what was really expected out of your team. Do you think that the issue is purely on Russell leaving?
A: Yes - I think it is purely because we don't have Russell at PG anymore. Even with Bryant putting up good statistics I think there is a lot under the hood of one of the greatest NBN PG's that we just don't see. Our team was really balanced last season and he didn't need to score a lot. A lot of people were down on him and his numbers but if you just look at him this season he is up 10pgg! I was 50/50 on who is more important to the team him or Ayton but at this point it looks like Russell but we will probably never know for sure.
Q: How do you feel about Bryant's first couple of games as a starter? Do you like what you see so far?
A: TJ Bryant struggled out of the gate but has bounced back. If you compare his numbers to Russell's last year they aren't off by a large margin. The major difference is 1 more turnover, 1 less steal and lower %'s from the PG spot. That doesn't seem like a huge drop off but it is still a drop off. I'm planning on trying to use the Cousy draft notes to camp his handling and maybe make a small improvement on his turnovers.
Q: With his current stats line, do you feel like James Jr is finally stepping up to the plate? Or do you think he can give you more?
A: Lebron James Jr.. SF 82 36.8 24.2 7.7 4.0 1.2 0.9 2.6 .460 .791 .382
Right now I consider James to be playing at a star level but not superstar. Drafting him #1 with the name factor and really good draft notes I though I would get a superstar. I think that he could still improve a little but not anything drastic at this point. He's by no means the best SF in the league but I would put him in the top 10 but would really like him to be considered a top 3 SF to really be worth all the hype.
Q: With your team being in probably one of the hardest, if not the hardest, division in the league, do you think you can win this division and go back to the playoffs where you can hopefully repeat as a champion?
A: The Pacific is crazy good. So many great teams with the Warriors, Kings, Nuggets, Clippers and now the surging Suns that added probably the greatest SG who is still averaging 30ppg even at his old age! I honestly don't think this team can repeat after losing Russell. I'm always trying to improve my team even with a good record but it gets hard when all of your good players have large contracts. I'm still open to moving Ayton if it could get me a big upgrade at PG but it looks like this is Bryant's team until Cousy takes over.
Q: What is the key parts in your team's success on the defensive side of the ball?
A: Balance - this team has good defenders 1-5 and even the backups are solid. Tostig is averaging 3.6 blocks and 2.2 steals right now from PF. That seems pretty amazing for a big right now. One thing I would really like to see is Bryant improve on defense but this was his last year of camps. He still has B potential showing so it could happen. I'm hoping that Cousy will turn into a defensive stud to replace Bryant when he is done.
Q: Wither is having a good season again. Do you consider him the best player in term of Stats vs Salary?
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A: No - I'm really happy with him of course and some people have said they don't like his salary but I think 10 million starting for a guy who averages 22/7 with good defense and %'s is well worth it. The guy who is playing way better than his pay grade is Bryant. 22ppg, 5rpg, 10.6 apg and he is making 5 mil this year and 5.5 next year. That seems like pretty value for the production. You have to factor in the negative of his turnovers but it still seems like a good deal to me. I also just added Bryant as a regular FA didn't even need to bid on him.
Q: With Ayton and Bryant going into free agency, possibly, after next season. If it was to happen right now. Who would you try to resign first?
A: Well Ayton is by far the better player here but when we factor in salaries it gets more difficult to decide. If I could resign Ayton to a contract like 15 mil a season flat I would do that. But I would be another team would be willing to give him more. That would lead me to lean towards Bryant since he should be cheaper. If I could resign him to a similar contract to what he has now around 5 mil a year I would do that and have him be our backup combo guard when Cousy takes over.
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